1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protection circuit for use in a controlling integrated circuit (IC) of a light emitting diode (LED). More particularly, the protection circuit of the present invention is for use in a controlling IC of a multi-channel LED manufactured by an advanced process.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
In the prior art, as the integration degree of the system on chip keeps rising, most of the controlling ICs of multi-channel LEDs have been able to be integrated directly into a general system on chip process.
However, when an advanced process (e.g., a 40 nanometer (nm) process, a 28 nm process or the like) is adopted to manufacture a system on chip, the voltage that the pins of the system on chip can withstand will become more limited. Therefore, when the voltage transmitted to the controlling IC rises instantaneously in case of a dimming off process of an LED assembly or malfunction (e.g., a short circuit) of part of the LEDs of the LED assembly, the rising voltage will exceed the range that the system on chip manufactured by the advanced process can withstand. Accordingly, the conventional controlling IC of the multi-channel LED cannot be integrated directly into the system on chip manufactured by the advanced process.
Accordingly, an urgent need exists in the art to accurately integrate the controlling IC of the multi-channel LED into the system on chip manufactured by the advanced process and ensure normal operation of the controlling IC.